It was an entertaining game, albeit a little patchy due to the lack of ruck ball either sides were allowed, in excellent conditions at Brinkburn. When given the chance both sides tried to run the ball although West did change some of their recent cavalier tactics and, sensibly, kicked for touch on occasion.

Rochdale were marshalled by their skilled fly-half Steve Collins who racked up all 17 of his sides points and was a constant thorn in the West defence. His slender frame jinking through many a gap and making tacklers miss. However he couldn't complete his afternoon with the difficult levelling kick from just inside the West half and wide on the left. The kick fell short and wide but despite the referee's clear call of 'last-play' West inexplicably missed touch with a clearing kick to give Rochdale one last chance, which fortunately for the hosts, they couldn't exploit.
The win moves West back up into fourth place and with Driffield suffering a surprise loss at Morpeth the race for the play-off might just be back on.

Tom Dixon missed an early penalty shot before Collins opened the scoring with his boot after 13 minutes. West had dominated the early stages and continued to do so after the penalty but it took until the 22nd minute for them to take the lead. Paul Rudd eventually crashing over in the corner after an extended period of play in the visitors 22.

Collins would rue two relatively easy penalty misses, the second an absolute sitter, when just before the break Chris Lambert juggled but eventually intercepted a pass and ran the length of the field to score under the posts and leave Dixon the easy conversion.

12-3 at the break, and it looked like West would go on to win the game comfortably. But Collins clearly had other ideas. Two tries in the first ten minutes of the second period gave his side the lead. The first from short range, exploiting a gap at the side of a ruck and the second a great effort, side-stepping several tacklers before touching down under the posts. With both conversions made the game had turned on its head, Rochdale now leading 17-12.

West remained calm though and Dixon nudged them back in contention with a penalty before Michael Young, threatening all afternoon, used his pace to steam away from the base of a scrum and score in the left corner. Dixon missed the tough conversion to leave the gap at only a single penalty and Collins had the chance on 70 minutes to tie the scores when a penalty was advanced 10 metres making it very kickable. His radar was off again though and West were again relieved.
As the minutes ticked away the West defence held firm until giving Collins that one last shot at the death which he couldn't convert.

It wasn't a pretty win but it was just what West needed after a poor run of results. With Horden defeating Rovers in the derby at the Friarage next week's game between Rovers and West takes on much more significance for the men in White. West will have to be ready as they need the win to keep their name in the race for the play-off place.

West: Hare, Lambert, Edwards (Todd), Howe, Painter, Tighe, Young, Carr, A Dixon, Norris (Robinson), Rudd, T Dixon, D Boatman, Myers, J Boatman

Tries: Rudd, Lambert, Young
Con: T Dixon
Pen: T Dixon

Sinbin: Howe


Rochdale: M Collins, Harper, Mair, Wellens, Tilley, S Collins, James, Callaghan, Greenhalgh, Redman, Rhodes, Kane, Hartley, Riddle, Helliwell
Reps: Bamford, Howarth, McDonald

Tries: S Collins 2
Cons: S Collins 2
Pen: S Collins

Referee: Ken Hudson [Durham Society]